Funfest a success

Immanuel Baptist hosts children's evening

Immanuel Baptist hosts children's evening

September 29, 2006|LAUREEN FAGAN Tribune Staff Writer

Usually, Immanuel Baptist Church in Mishawaka holds a vacation Bible school for area children, said Nancy Wright, wife of pastor Rodney Wright. But other commitments this year interfered with scheduling, so last week's Funfest seemed the perfect answer to children's outreach ministry. "We tried to have the typical carnival-type games," she said, speaking by phone. "We had a ring toss, we had the fish tank where the kids take the fishing pole and put it over the fishing tank and they get a prize," she explained. A pingpong toss. Miniature golf. Baseball toss. Beanbags and duck ponds and, obviously, nothing but fun, fun. And more fun. "We had a sandbox, where they dug for buried treasure," she said. "We had some gold coins they had to dig for." The purpose, she said, was outreach to the community. "To let them know that we are here and share Christ with them," Wright explained. "After games, we had a martial arts demonstration and then we had a devotion, where we shared Christ with them," she added. Wright and her adult volunteers guessed that about 65 children attended the event, with more than 100 people at Immanuel all together. "Mostly people from around the neighborhood," she said. "The people were great. Everybody pitched in. It took everybody from the church to make it a success." One of the highlights, she said, was the cake walk. "You went through this curtain of gumdrops to get to the cake walk," Wright said. "Our members? They donated cakes and brought them in," she added, describing the game as almost like musical chairs with numbers assigned for winning various cakes. "The best thing we had (was) the treasure hunt," Wright said. "It all wound up to the end, and the treasure was a Bible."Staff writer Laureen Fagan: lfagan@sbtinfo.com (574) 235-6344